CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) – The last time the Carolina Panthers played the New England Patriots the Super Bowl was on the line. On Saturday night, they meet again with absolutely nothing at stake.

So why are the Panthers so pumped?

“It’s going to be Super Bowl No. 2, Round 2,” safety Mike Minter said. “We’re going to be jacked.”

For an exhibition game? No ring. No Lombardi Trophy. Not even a victory to put in the season standings.

Carolina is still feeling the sting of its 32-29 loss in its first Super Bowl. Big underdogs entering the game, the Panthers lost a thriller that Adam Vinatieri won with a 41-yard field goal with four seconds left.

The Patriots are 1-1 in this exhibition season and coming off a 31-3 loss to Cincinnati. The Panthers are 2-0 and plan to play their starters most of the first three quarters.

“This is the one where you get a chance to judge and your starters play the most and it just so happens we are playing against a quality team,” Carolina defensive tackle Brentson Buckner said. “It is still a preseason game. Whether you win or lose it will be wiped clean off your record. But this is your last dress rehearsal before you go out and get the full affect of the game.”

New England doesn’t care so much about its next opponent. The Patriots just need to show some sort of resemblance to the Super Bowl champs before the regular season begins.

“This is an important game no matter how you look at it, no matter what happened last week or what’s going to be happening in the weeks to come,” offensive tackle Matt Light said. “We know a lot about this team, obviously, from all the time and all the film work we put into them for the Super Bowl.

“I think if we can play well against these guys that’ll go a long way to building our confidence and getting us ready for the season so this will be a big test for us.”

New England was lifeless against the Bengals, who scored on their first three possessions and led 21-0 before the Patriots even got a first down. But now that the Patriots plan to play their starters deep into the second half, they believe Saturday night will be the true measure of where they stand.

Tom Brady struggled against Cincinnati, going 8-for-13 for 126 yards and one interception. Now he’ll face a tough Carolina defense.

“We are kind of really anxious to see what the team is all about,” Brady said. “This is going to more closely resemble what the team looks like, so I think that is why everyone is excited to see how it all turns out.”

The Panthers are certain the Patriots will be trying to make another statement.

“I’m sure New England is going to say, “Look, guys, y’all played us close, but we want to show you that you’re not that close to us,”‘ Minter said. “I’m sure they want to prove some things.”

AP-ES-08-27-04 1645EDT